A call for urgent change
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has laid out nine key reforms he says are necessary to restore electoral credibility and strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
In a statement posted Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), Atiku praised Nigerians for showing renewed interest in PVC registration, but warned that voter enthusiasm alone won’t deliver free and fair elections without systemic reform.
2023 turnout was lowest since 1999
Atiku flagged the historic low turnout in the 2023 general elections — just 26.72% — as a wake-up call. Despite having over 93 million registered voters, only 24.9 million actually cast their votes.
He said this signals growing voter apathy and declining trust in the system.
“Judges are choosing leaders, not voters”
Citing Prof. Chidi Odinkalu’s book The Selectorate, Atiku echoed concerns that courtrooms, not polling booths, are now deciding who governs.
He warned that without deep reforms, Nigeria’s democracy risks becoming increasingly undemocratic.
The 9 reforms Atiku is demanding
Atiku’s proposed conditions for credible elections include:
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Mandatory use of BVAS for accreditation and result upload at all levels
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Electronic transmission of results to the iREV portal — no manual overrides
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Ward-level collation based solely on electronic results
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LG-level collation based on transmitted ward results
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State-level collation based on LG results
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National collation based on state-level transmitted figures
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Total ban on manual accreditation, transmission, or collation
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INEC appointments (Chairman, RECs, Commissioners) to be democratically vetted
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INEC must prove compliance with the Electoral Act during legal challenges — not the petitioner
“Let’s return power to the people”
Atiku concluded that only these kinds of deep reforms will shift power back to the people, reduce the role of vested interests, and rebuild confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
He added that the time to act is now, not in the heat of another election crisis.
